The Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC) has published an update on the work it is doing as part of the Transforming Pharmacy Representation (TAPR) Programme to take forward the mandate from contractors to deliver the Review Steering Group (RSG) recommendations.
The update is primarily aimed at LPCs – with whom PSNC has been working closely on some of the TAPR work over the summer.
The TAPR Programme is being undertaken in support of PSNC’s work to address the severe challenges facing the community pharmacy sector at present.
Alongside ongoing negotiations with Government and the NHS, two of the TAPR workstreams – focusing on Vision and Strategy, and on Influencing and Negotiation – are essential to supporting CPCF negotiations.
“The workstreams are looking at the future of community pharmacy and how best to persuade policymakers to implement a shared vision, with their objective being to put the sector in a stronger position going into future CPCF negotiations,” said PSNC.
“Other TAPR workstreams are being taken forward to enhance governance and to support the LPCs to make changes, with the ultimate aim that contractors should have a better relationship with, and more oversight of, stronger national and local negotiators in the future.”
As part of PSNC’s support for LPCs to make the changes set out by the RSG, earlier this week it held two online sessions with LPCs.
The committee has also published Phase 1 of an LPC Toolkit. “Contractors can expect to hear from LPCs about discussions on possible changes at LPC level in the autumn.”
The update provides an overview of all of this work, giving a description of each of the TAPR Programme workstreams and milestones.
PSNC chief executive Janet Morrison said: “Community pharmacy contractors are facing immense challenges at the moment and everyone at PSNC is working tirelessly and with a sharp focus on getting them the help they so urgently need. But as well as making the case for short-term support on things like energy bills, we must also have an eye to the long-term sustainability of the sector: it has always been my view that the bigger prize for the sector is what comes after the current five-year CPCF.
Through the TAPR Programme work we are beginning to prepare for that longer-term future, working hard to put PSNC, the LPCs and ultimately the community pharmacy sector in a stronger position for future negotiations.”
Sukhi Basra